Recommendation letters repeat similar phrases. Does USCIS consider that suspicious?

Repeating a few expressions on its own is generally not a reason for suspicion. In the EB-1, recommendation letters exist to report your achievements and reputation, and it is natural for descriptions of professional excellence to draw on similar terms. What the officer evaluates is the substance, not the coincidence of wording.

The red flag appears when the letters sound generic and interchangeable, as if they were all written by the same hand and merely signed by different people. Standardized phrases without concrete examples weaken the credibility of the package and can raise questions about personalization.

To avoid that risk, the ideal is for each letter to carry its own voice. It helps when the recommender:

• explains how they know your work and in what context;
• cites specific examples of your contributions and their impact;
• uses their own voice, rather than a single template distributed to everyone.

Concrete and individualized letters carry far more weight than many identical ones. Since each case is evaluated individually, it is worth reviewing the package carefully and, when possible, seeking guidance from a specialist before filing.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.